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When it comes to hurricanes, meteorologists say have a plan and look beyond the ‘cone’

Morning Call (Allentown, PA)

Sept. 07--When Superstorm Sandy ravaged the the Northeast back in 2012, few people were prepared for the onslaught or the aftermath of the storm.

Across the region, key infrastructure was damaged and hundreds of thousands of residents faced long-term power outages after high winds ripped down trees and utility lines.

As the skies cleared and people ventured out for provisions, they found stores with empty shelves and gas stations with long lines. Tempers flared over the availability of generators, which were stolen from backyards and swiped from busy intersections where they powered traffic signals.

While billions have been spent to repair the damage, experts worry few are up to the task of developing a disaster plan before one strikes again.

And that could be sooner than later with the possibility that Florence could move ashore along the Atlantic coast next week as a hurricane, and she would arrive after the remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon drops rain in the region.

To plan for such possibilities, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency is encouraging citizens to learn how to prepare for emergencies in September, which is National Preparedness Month and also marks the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season.

"This year, we're offering '30 Days/30 Ways' guidance for people who perhaps survived significant flooding earlier this summer, or who weren't impacted by it but want to make sure they're ready for a possible emergency," PEMA Director Richard D. Flinn Jr. said in a news release. "It can be overwhelming to get started, but these simple tips will get you on the right path."

One of those tips includes reviewing insurance policies and coverage to ensure they're adequate for the hazards homeowners often face. Another is simply knowing how to turn off the utilities in your home.

Anyone who wants to register for PEMA's weekly updates and helpful hints can register through the ReadyPA website.

More worrisome than those without an emergency plan, at least to some meteorologists in the mid-Atlantic, is how perceptions of storms don't always line up with reality.

For example, those who live outside of the storm's "cone" often believe they're safe from feeling the effects of a major hurricane.

Not so, says meteorologist Ed Vallee, of Vallee Weather Consulting.

He stresses, first and foremost, that the cone has little to do with actual impacts of a storm. Hurricane or tropical storm-force winds can extend hundreds of miles outward from the center, and slow-moving storms can drop enough rain to cause widespread, devastating flooding.

"What's really important at the end of the day is knowing these storms are so much further wide-reaching than the cone would suggest," Vallee said. "It's important to note that wind is rarely the main issue. It can be a big issue, but rainfall and flooding, especially after the incredibly wet summer we've had, may be the number one thing to watch out for."

Like many meteorologists along the coast, Vallee is currently keeping an eye on Florence, which is churning in the Atlantic and forecast to restrengthen into a major hurricane again over the weekend. Its exact track is unknown, but the National Weather Service says the broad consensus shows it affecting our region in some way next week.

That could mean rain, and lots of it, days after the remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon exit the region.

"People don't realize these [back-to-back] storms can raise a river very quickly," Vallee explained. "Hypothetically if you're looking at the Delaware River, the thing that needs to be realized is that you could get an inch of rain in one location and go 20 miles north and they get a much heavier band that comes through. Four or five inches of rain will fall and that can ultimately translate to unexpected flooding in other places."

The message, for anyone who lives along the East Coast, is to consider the possibility of hurricane impacts now without panicking.

"The thing I'm conveying is simply to have a plan," Vallee said. "It doesn't hurt to have a plan, especially in areas that are often viewed as removed from normal hurricane or tropical impacts. The Lehigh Valley is a really good example of that. The rain and the wind would be two of the biggest impacts that would be felt."